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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25522399">Escape Pods</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Purpleskiesofdragons/pseuds/Purpleskiesofdragons'>Purpleskiesofdragons</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Marvel Cinematic Universe</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Canon Compliant, Canonical Character Death, Fixing Plot Holes, Hurt No Comfort, Missing Scene, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Pre-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), escaping, honestly isn’t there always angst here, i wish there was, some of them i guess</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 07:15:11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,021</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25522399</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Purpleskiesofdragons/pseuds/Purpleskiesofdragons</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Missing scene between Infinity War and Endgame, in which the author answers some questions about how Valkyrie, Korg, and Miek survived Thanos.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Brunnhilde | Valkyrie &amp; Thor (Marvel), Loki &amp; Thor (Marvel)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Escape Pods</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I know I write literally nothing happy here. I’m sorry— my angst gremlin has gotten rather large.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The moment Brunnhilde sees Loki and Thor return to the makeshift throne room, faces pale and drawn, she knows that this will be the last happy moment she will have for a long time. </p><p>She can’t make herself speak, so she slips on a veil of fake confidence and raises an eyebrow. </p><p>“What alien space pirate do we have to fight now?”</p><p>Loki’s throat works for a moment, as if he’s trying to speak, but something flashes across his face and he falls silent, clenching his hands into fists. It’s clear that whatever he’s trying to say, it pains him. <em> So it’s that bad. </em> </p><p>Thor says the name quietly.</p><p>“Thanos.” </p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>The ship is in chaos. </p><p>As soon as Thor makes the announcement, Asgardians’ questions bubble up and drown out whatever reassurances he’s trying to offer.</p><p>
  <em> How dangerous is Thanos?  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Will he come here? </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Haven’t we suffered enough? </em>
</p><p>
  <em> What about my wife? </em>
</p><p>
  <em> What about my daughter? </em>
</p><p>
  <em> What about— </em>
</p><p>Brunnhilde watches silently from the sidelines. Thor is trying to weather the storm, trying to shout over everyone, but every time, they overwhelm him. She hasn’t seen the look often, but knows it well enough— it is the look of a defeated, helpless king. His kingdom is destroyed, and the only home he has left is soon to be torn to shreds by a mad Titan. </p><p>The clamoring doesn’t stop when Thor bows his head and steps off the makeshift podium. To her surprise, he approaches her, and beckons for her to follow him. She follows him to his quarters, where Loki is sitting on the bed, absently juggling a shot glass.  He looks up with mild disinterest as she enters. </p><p>“I’m sure you’re aware of how dangerous Thanos is,” Thor begins. He’s chosen to sit beside Loki, but his leg is bouncing up and down restlessly and he’s playing with his hands. He’s anxious. </p><p>“On Sakaar, you pick up a lot,” Brunnhilde replies. It’s true; they’ve had stragglers from massacred planets stumble in, eyes haunted and begging for any kind of shelter. A place where Thanos cannot find them. The Grandmaster takes them in graciously, and with Brunnhilde’s insistence, he doesn’t make them watch the arena battles. </p><p>“Then I’m guessing you know that we can’t win, not like this,” he says. “There’s too many lives at risk. Too much at stake.” </p><p>“Thanos is ruthless,” Loki adds, not looking up. “We alone cannot hope to beat him.”</p><p>“How close is he?” she asks. Both brothers are silent for a moment. </p><p>“He’s here,” Thor finally says. </p><p><em>“Here,</em> here?” A nod.</p><p>The gravity of the situation finally sinks in. Thanos is here. As in, in about an hour, they will all be very, very dead. <em> All the people they helped save, everyone that they promised a new life to.</em> </p><p>The traces of lingering euphoria from when the <em> Statesman </em> fled Asgard pools at the pit of her stomach and shivers into nothing, leaving her with a strange hollowness inside. She makes a futile grab to try to catch it as it disappears, in some kind of broken hope that she’d find courage, bravery, determination, anything to prepare her. </p><p>She has nothing. </p><p>“I want you to take as many as you can onto the escape pods with Korg and Miek.” Thor’s voice brings her back, jarringly, and it takes her a moment to register what he just said. </p><p>“What do you mean?” she hears herself say. It has none of the steadiness she wanted it to have; it’s shaking. Quiet. </p><p>“Asgard isn’t a place, it’s a people,” Thor quotes <em>(oh, how she’ll learn to hate and love that quote in the future, when she thinks back on this)</em>. “And for Asgard to survive, we need to save as many people as we can.”</p><p>“Can’t Korg and Miek handle it?” she protests, finding her voice and a bit strength with it. Even so, Thor seems to have no place for argument. </p><p>“They need a leader,” he says, shaking his head slightly, before meeting her eyes solemnly. She searches his gaze for something, <em> anything </em> (<em>she has to fight, she has to protect Asgard, she failed so many years ago, she has to make it right</em>), but finds only tiredness. Grief.  And with that, she realizes the implication behind his words. </p><p>“You don’t think you’re going to survive.” </p><p>“I’m going to try,” Thor corrects. He doesn’t sound very confident. </p><p><em>“We’re </em> going to try,” Loki interjects. Brunnhilde has almost forgotten that he was still here, with how silent he’s been. “But, yes, that is the general idea.” </p><p>“The people need a leader,” Thor reiterates. “I trust you, Brunnhilde.” </p><p>“Heimdall?” </p><p>“You, Brunnhilde,” he says, firmer this time. Softer, he adds, “Heimdall will never leave Asgard, whether it be a place or person. He would rather die protecting who he can.” Thor opens his mouth to continue, but shouts from outside the door interrupt him. They’re panicked, frantic, and all contain the same fateful name, the same helpless phrase. </p><p>
  <em> Thanos. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Thanos is here.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Help us.  </em>
</p><p>“Please, Brunnhilde,” Thor murmurs, rising from the bed. Loki follows. He meets eyes with her briefly before he brushes past her, and what she sees there tells her all that she needs to know. </p><p>Brunnhilde runs toward the escape pods.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Space is quiet. Empty. There is no sound in space, and for that, Brunnhilde is grateful. </p><p>She had herded as many Asgardians as she could onto the escape pods and the Grandmaster’s ship, and there were still more left on the <em> Statesman </em>. Always more, more that she cannot save. </p><p>She dares not to look back as she sets a course for Terra. If she did, she might have seen the Statesman slowly become ensconced in purple fire, its hull cracking to give an onlooker a glimpse at the devastation inside. She might have heard the explosion that rocked the fabric of space, sending shattered pieces of a sanctuary into the void, never to be repaired. And she might have noticed one lone figure, floating alone in the wreckage, one eye rolled back in his head and tear tracks becoming crystallized ice on his face. </p><p>But she doesn’t look back. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Leave a comment and kudos to let me know what you think?<br/>I did say I was sorry.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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